Micro electro-mechanical system based programmable frequency synthesizer and method of operation thereof
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorArun K. Gupta
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Abstract
A frequency synthesizer and a method of synthesizing an output signal. In one embodiment, the frequency synthesizer includes: (1) a substrate, (2) a resonator located on the substrate and comprising a micro electromechanical system device and a feedback amplifier coupled thereto, (3) a phase-locked loop located on the substrate and coupled to the resonator, (4) control logic located on the substrate and configured to control the phase-locked loop based on a known resonant frequency of the micro electromechanical system device and (5) a voltage-controlled oscillator located on the substrate and coupled to the phase-locked loop.
Claims20
A frequency synthesizer, comprising:
- a substrate;
- a resonator located on said substrate and comprising a micro electromechanical system device and a feedback amplifier coupled thereto;
- a phase-locked loop located on said substrate and coupled to said resonator;
- control logic located on said substrate and configured to control said phase-locked loop based on a known resonant frequency of said micro electro-mechanical system device;
- and
- a voltage-controlled oscillator located on said substrate and coupled to said phase-locked loop.
A method of synthesizing an output signal, comprising:
- causing a micro electromechanical system device and a feedback amplifier coupled thereto to resonate with one another to generate a reference oscillation;
- providing said reference oscillation to a phase-locked loop;
- controlling said phase-locked loop based on a known resonant frequency of said micro electromechanical system device;
- and
- exciting a voltage-controlled oscillator with an output of said phase-locked loop.
A programmable frequency synthesizer, comprising:
- a substrate;
- a resonator located on said substrate and comprising an untrimmed micro electro-mechanical system device and a feedback amplifier coupled thereto;
- a fractional-N phase-locked loop located on said substrate and coupled to said resonator;
- a memory located on said substrate and configured to contain a value representing a known resonant frequency of said micro electromechanical system device;
- a temperature sensor located on said substrate proximate said micro electro-mechanical system device;
- control logic located on said substrate and configured to control said fractional-N phase-locked loop based on said known resonant frequency, a desired output frequency value and a temperature proximate said micro electromechanical system device;
- and
- a voltage-controlled oscillator located on said substrate and coupled to said fractional-N phase-locked loop.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.